Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A65275
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The word of the Lord to the inhabitants of Leeds
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Watson, Samuel, ca. 1618-1708.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing W1100; ESTC R220888
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6,879
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8
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The Word of the Lord to the Inhabitants of LEEDS OH Inhabitants of Leeds and the adjacent places belonging I am burdened in spirit till I write unto you and you Rulers and Priests thereof especially shall know in the day of the Lords account that I set not my hand to Paper till I was commanded of the Lord the fire of whose jealousie is kindled though you are not yet come to the feeling of it to burn and consume the house of Esau which is as stubble that his Servant Jacob whom Esau for a time Lords over may have the Inheriance in the purchased possession where none can make afraid and to give his Israel rest and deliverance from under hard-hearted Pharaoh in bringing him even all the Seed which is but one into the Land of uprightnesse which flows with milk and hony that their souls may be refreshed in the green pastures of love and every one have rest under their own vine and rejoyce in the paths of holiness for evermore And this is his work notwithwanding the hardnesse of your hearts which in tears I expresse unto you and the Lord rebuke that spirit which cannot believe in the spirit of Truth which gives every particular who are obedient to feel after Gods Righteousnesse and worship in Spirit and Truth in the true separation from the carnal without which Friends you feel and enjoy all Profession is but sandy and building thereon the time is hasting on a pace that the overflowing Scourge must passe and surely all that 's not built upon the Rock Christ Jesus will be thrown down Therfore in plainness and in Gods Love I exhort you to consider your standing and try what spirit you are of and to what root you are grafted in for such as the tree such is the fruit if the Root be holy the branches are holy And the visitation of Gods Love is yet to you that you may come to the feeling after him that not any of you who as yet are in Ignorance may perish for want of the true Knowledge But to you that yet sit in darkness and under the Region of the shadow of death light may spring up according to the promise to work this effect as t is witnessed by all the Children of God 2 Cor. 14. God who commanded light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And this is that the Light which you must come as to a chief Corner-stone which as yet is rejected by you who are of the World as is manifest by your practise and the day is come wherein the Lord abhors profession without the life and power of godlines and his Sword of the Spirit is drawn to cut down that wch cumbers the ground the briars and the Thorns which tears the fleece of the sheep and scarce would suffer them to live upon the earth O People and unwise do you not know that the Lord hath a controversie with you for these things and you that are in the Iniquity shall not escape punishnent though you joyn hand in hand and make many covers from the Scriptures and plead for the Traditions and Customs of the Fathers who lived in Ignorance as well as you and through the profession of a Law and the Scriptures which was read every Sabbath day crucified the just and did dispightfully unto the Spirit of Grace for this I speak in the Truth that your life is not according to the Scriptures nor the power of godlinesse So wait be patient and consider your errour for in this it is partly demonstrated by your particular acting towards me who am a witnesse against your deeds For thus it was to me early in the morning upon the fourth day of the first month the Word of the Lord came unto me mine eyes spiritually being on the Inhabitants of this place Go speak unto them You are a People fitted for destruction because you believe not in that which mortifies the flesh the Spirit of Truth is that which mortifies the flesh and who believes not in this and waits not in this destruction is of themselves and the Steeple-house sacrifice or service which is external as the Priests manifests doth not work any thing unto this the Redemption of the Soul And when I came into the Steeple-house he who is called a Pastor or a Minister was expounding as t is called and after he had done these words beforementioned came on me to speak and before I had them all uttered they manifested themselves not to be a Church but a Synagogue according as t is Recorded in John 16. These things have I spoken unto you that you should not be offended The time shall come when they shall cast you out of the Synagogue so they did not only so but cast me into prison And thou who is called the Pastor was speaking to the people that though some did censure you yet you were to be so charitable as not to be violent to them as even to squeeze blood out of them or the like and then Imediately the little effect of thy words was seen for as soon as I had got the words of Truth spoken away with me to prison and where is your charity in this and what is this but violence and even to squeeze blood out of one for what know you but by such dealings a tender body might be destroyed as several of the Innocent witnesses of God hath been for the Testimony to Truth bearing in the Prisons of England And also John Sayles thou gave forth this Doctrine to the people to feed upon viz. That the Ministers work is onely to meddle with the external things as the Sacraments and the like and to leave the work of the Spirit to Christ O thou dark Antichristian Minister which never was made a Minister by God according to the Testimony wherein all the Ministers of Christ are Acts 26.16 I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to make thee a Minister and a witnesse of the things which thou hast seen and of the things which shall appear unto thee delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee to open their eyes and to turn them from darknnsse to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgivenesse of sins and an Inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me and John 19.19 As thou hast sent me into the World even so have I also sent them into the World Mind this Pastor and People Christ Jesus was not sent carnally to meddle with external things touching the Redemption of souls but he was in God Reconciling the world unto himself preaching deliverance unto those who was in captivity and bringing the prisoner out of prison the seed from under the bondage and power of Satan and saith he as thou hast sent me into the world so have I also